Fluid flow plates are structures for fluid-related applications, such as for carrying, delivering, dividing, and/or distributing one or more types of fluids. The term “fluid” is used here in a broad sense, which can be anything that is capable of flowing from one point to another. For example, a fluid may include air, gas, liquid, viscous fluid, etc., each of which is capable of flowing or moving itself or a part of it from one point to another.
As an illustrative example, one of the many applications for fluid flow plates is for fuel cells, in which fluid flow plates may be used to transport, guide, and/or distribute one or more kinds of “fuel”, which may be in a liquid or gaseous form, for generating electric power. FIG. 1 illustrates a sectional view of an exemplary fuel cell device in the prior art. Referring to FIG. 1, a fuel cell 400, such as a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (also known as “PEMFC”), may include a membrane and electrode assembly 410, two gas diffusion layers 405 and 406, and two fluid flow plates 401 and 402. As illustrated, the two gas diffusion layers 405 and 406 may sandwich between them the membrane and electrode assembly 410, and the two fluid flow plates 401 and 402 may sandwich between them both the membrane and electrode assembly 410 and the two gas diffusion layers 405 and 406. The fluid flow plates 401 and 402 each may provide one or more flow channels, such as flow channels 403 and 404, and a reactant fluid may flow through each of the flow channels. As an example, the membrane and electrode assembly 410 may include a proton exchange membrane 409, an anode catalyst layer 407, and a cathode catalyst layer 408. The anode and cathode catalyst layers 407 and 408 each may include platinum or platinum alloy, which may serve as a catalyst and facilitate electrochemical fuel cell reactions.
To facilitate the efficiency or ease of fluid distribution or that of an accompanying components, such as a fuel cell device, it may be desirable to provide fluid flow plates that may increase the ease of flow movement or distribution, decrease flow resistance, simplify system or component design, or provide different fluid flow characteristics.